Post by LDM on May 1, 2010 10:24:00 GMT -5
In the past month, I have heard from at least 4 different people regarding a belief called Universalism, Ultimate Reconciliation, or Comprehensive Grace. In this belief, it is asserted that all mankind will eventually be saved. Hell, they say, is a temporary state where man stays until he is ready to go to Heaven. It is a description very similar to the catholic church's description of purgatory.
On its surface, such sounds completely contrary to Scripture. However, certain texts are being used to support this doctrine and because of the increasing popularity of this view, I feel compelled to address it here.
The main arguments I have heard in support of this doctrine are:
The Lake of Fire is temporary and not an eternal punishment
• “Ages” – It is stated that the word translated "eternal" in the New Testament is more often than not the word aiōn or its derivative aiōnios which means a "period" or "age" and not "eternal". Yet, this alone does not necessitate a temporary or ending state for things associated with that word.
Take Matthew 25:46 for example “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
The word aionios is used for both "everlasting" and "eternal" above. If use of this word means that it has to come to an end, then this not only applies to the punishment given after death, but also the life after death.
Once those in Christ die to this world and are resurrected to life in God, we no longer die. We know from the Scriptures that we are with God for all eternity, for all ages to come. If the life that God gives us after death can continue for all ages, then so can the punishment that God gives those who reject Him.
Therefore, even adopting a more direct translation of aiōnios to mean “age-during” does not mean it has to end. If “age-during” life can continue into eternity, then so can “age-during” punishment.
In speaking of the Lake of Fire, Scripture says:
“It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.” Isaiah 34:10
The first “for ever” is the word owlam, which some would say speaks again to a period or age of time. However, the last “for ever and ever” is netsach meaning "into perpetuity". This again speaks to something not ending.
• Death is Destroyed – It is also stated that since the Lake of Fire is called the “second death”, the destruction of death must mean the Lake of Fire comes to an end.
The wages of sin is death. For death to be destroyed must mean that sin is no more. Sin is rebellion against the righteousness of God. Death is no more because all rebellion against God (sin, the cause of death) has been eradicated. Those who are with Him are made new and one with Him. Those who are the enemies of God are under His righteous judgment and are powerless to rebel against that. All indeed are submitted to God and subdued under His authority, whether willingly (through God’s free gift) or by compulsion (God’s judgment).
Salvation Through the Lake of Fire
• The Foundation for Salvation – Salvation is only possible through repentance unto faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing in Scripture which says that those in the Lake of Fire at any time repent or come to faith in Jesus Christ nor that they are even given the chance to.
• Brimstone – It is said that the concept of fire and the reference to brimstone itself is a purifier. However, when we look at the use of Brimstone in Scripture, we are not given a picture of something being purified for the purposes of being brought back to life.
God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, but that judgment was not a means to impart life to the area; it left it barren.
“And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath.” Deuteronomy 28:23
As part of the judgment, the land was left desolate. No life would ever thrive there nor can life be supported there. Being “purified” by brimstone did not mean that it then became fit for use or fit to hold life.
“And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. ” Isaiah 34:9-10
Even in this instance, the land upon which the brimstone rains is turned into pitch and lies waste. If this is an example of purification, it is not such that would result in a re-establishment or resurrection for life. The land is left unusable.
There is no indication from Scripture that those in the Lake of Fire are ever re-born or renewed unto life, nor that the "purpose" of the brimstone is to accomplish such.
• Saved as by Fire – I Corinthians 3:15 is used to assert that people are saved through the Lake of Fire. However, the context of this text is about the work of ministers primarily (Please click here for more info on this: thelatterdays.blogspot.com/2009/11/we-can-only-lose-our-reward.html).
However, this text is only speaking of believers or as Paul says in I Corinthians 3:1 those who are “in Christ”. So even if one says this illustrates believers being saved by fire, that still excludes those who died as unbelievers.
There is no text which says that unbelievers will be saved by fire.
The Character of God Prevents Eternal Punishment
• God as a Father – It is stated that God's goal with punishment is never just to vent His anger on us but is always given with the objective of providing correction so that we might turn from our ways. This concept is consistent with the image of God as a Father.
Hebrews Chapter 12 talks about the type of punishment which is done by a Father for the purposes of correcting His children. In discussing this chastening, the word paideia is used meaning “the whole training and education of children; instruction which aims at increasing virtue”.
Yet the only ones who qualify for this type of chastening are those who are sons. Those who are not sons are not subject to such, but are bastards. The type of punishment which is discussed in conjunction with the Lake of Fire is not the kind of a Father chastening children (paideia), but of kolazō (punishment), timōria (vengeance), dikē (condemnation), and kolasis (penalty) .
Scripture also indicates that the punishment of the Lake of Fire is an expression of God’s wrath (Revelation 14:10-11). This is not the same type of correction wrought upon children, but is a recompense for deeds done. This is not an interaction of a Father dealing with sons (who are not in the Lake of Fire), but of an angry God meting out righteous judgment. Those who are His sons inherit “age-during” life (Revelation 21:7).
I agree with God’s description as a Father, but He is not a Father to all and Scripture indicates that those in the Lake of Fire are not sons nor are they chastened/punished as sons.
• God is Righteous – There are many facets to God’s personality. While He is a Father, He is also a King, a Judge, a Husband, a Creator, a Healer, etc. How we interact with Him (and Him with us) is dependent upon our relationship with Him. There are no inconsistencies between God’s treatment of His sons and His treatment of His enemies.
As a product of His righteousness, He cannot deny Himself. He must honor His words if He is to be holy and righteous…even if those words are consequences that are unpleasant.
If He says that one must turn in faith to Christ to be reconciled unto Him, and that only such will inherit “age-during” life; then the only ones who inherit “age-during” life are those who turn in faith to Jesus. For unbelievers to inherit “age-during” life that leads into eternity defies His word and makes Him a liar unless those in the Lake of Fire repent and turn. Yet, there is no text which indicates that those in the Lake of Fire will come to such a belief/confession.
We cannot attempt to understand God with our own minds or reasonings. Neither can we eclipse God into one facet of His character to the point where we dismiss the other attributes of God. Jesus came as a Lamb the first time. He will come back as a Lion. He is coming back in judgment for the deeds done in our mortal bodies. There is nothing in Scripture which indicates that this is a second chance of redemption for those who have rejected Him. It is a time of judgment. To say that God is too "loving" to do such a thing contradicts much of Scripture.
• Man’s love for God – One thing God showed me years ago is that the basis for our covenant with Him is love. Not only His love for us, but that same love being reflected in us back to Him as we are made over into His image. (thelatterdays.blogspot.com/2009/12/only-reason-salvation-can-be-lost.html)
People receive judgment from God not because of sin primarily, but because their sin is the manifestation of a lack of love for God. The potential purpose of the Lake of Fire being to burn off man’s sinful flesh still does not get to the root of the problem: a change in the heart of man.
God is after a new heart in man, and having the old man burned up does not mean that new life has replaced it. There is no text which indicates that those in the Lake of Fire are renewed unto life or given a new heart, and yet this is the root of what must happen to be raised unto age-during life in God (John 3:3).
All is "Summed Up" in Christ
• Perfected versus Reconciled - Some say that the Scriptures indicating all will be “summed up” in Christ at the end necessitates that all is brought into alignment or joined together with Him.
Yet, reconciliation does not mean that all things are added together, but that all things are balanced out. One of the roots from which the word for “summed up” in Christ (Ephesians 1:10) is derived from the word kephalaion which means “the pecuniary sum total of a reckoning”. Reckoning itself means a settling of accounts or a “summing up”. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reckoning
In the process of reconciliation, those things which should be added are added and those which should be removed are taken away. The result is that all has been “reconciled”.
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord. All things must be reconciled, all things must be balanced out, all things must be “summed up” and this includes processing all debts.
Many in the Early Church held this position
• The mystery of iniquity doth already work- Some point to the number of church historians/theologians who supported this doctrine a proof that it represents true Christianity. Support is cited for this belief dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. One thing we also know from II Thessalonians 2:7 is that even back in the days where the Scriptures were being penned, the mystery of iniquity was already at work. So, it would be no surprise that error was creeping into the churches even at that time. While it may be interesting to consider the writings of men, our basis for truth must be grounded in the Scriptures.
On its surface, such sounds completely contrary to Scripture. However, certain texts are being used to support this doctrine and because of the increasing popularity of this view, I feel compelled to address it here.
The main arguments I have heard in support of this doctrine are:
- The Lake of Fire is temporary and not an eternal punishment
- Salvation is obtained Through the Lake of Fire
- The Character of God Prevents Eternal Punishment
- All are "Summed Up" in Christ
- Many in the Early Church held this position
The Lake of Fire is temporary and not an eternal punishment
• “Ages” – It is stated that the word translated "eternal" in the New Testament is more often than not the word aiōn or its derivative aiōnios which means a "period" or "age" and not "eternal". Yet, this alone does not necessitate a temporary or ending state for things associated with that word.
Take Matthew 25:46 for example “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
The word aionios is used for both "everlasting" and "eternal" above. If use of this word means that it has to come to an end, then this not only applies to the punishment given after death, but also the life after death.
Once those in Christ die to this world and are resurrected to life in God, we no longer die. We know from the Scriptures that we are with God for all eternity, for all ages to come. If the life that God gives us after death can continue for all ages, then so can the punishment that God gives those who reject Him.
Therefore, even adopting a more direct translation of aiōnios to mean “age-during” does not mean it has to end. If “age-during” life can continue into eternity, then so can “age-during” punishment.
In speaking of the Lake of Fire, Scripture says:
“It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever.” Isaiah 34:10
The first “for ever” is the word owlam, which some would say speaks again to a period or age of time. However, the last “for ever and ever” is netsach meaning "into perpetuity". This again speaks to something not ending.
• Death is Destroyed – It is also stated that since the Lake of Fire is called the “second death”, the destruction of death must mean the Lake of Fire comes to an end.
The wages of sin is death. For death to be destroyed must mean that sin is no more. Sin is rebellion against the righteousness of God. Death is no more because all rebellion against God (sin, the cause of death) has been eradicated. Those who are with Him are made new and one with Him. Those who are the enemies of God are under His righteous judgment and are powerless to rebel against that. All indeed are submitted to God and subdued under His authority, whether willingly (through God’s free gift) or by compulsion (God’s judgment).
Salvation Through the Lake of Fire
• The Foundation for Salvation – Salvation is only possible through repentance unto faith in Jesus Christ. There is nothing in Scripture which says that those in the Lake of Fire at any time repent or come to faith in Jesus Christ nor that they are even given the chance to.
• Brimstone – It is said that the concept of fire and the reference to brimstone itself is a purifier. However, when we look at the use of Brimstone in Scripture, we are not given a picture of something being purified for the purposes of being brought back to life.
God rained down fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, but that judgment was not a means to impart life to the area; it left it barren.
“And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the LORD overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath.” Deuteronomy 28:23
As part of the judgment, the land was left desolate. No life would ever thrive there nor can life be supported there. Being “purified” by brimstone did not mean that it then became fit for use or fit to hold life.
“And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever. ” Isaiah 34:9-10
Even in this instance, the land upon which the brimstone rains is turned into pitch and lies waste. If this is an example of purification, it is not such that would result in a re-establishment or resurrection for life. The land is left unusable.
There is no indication from Scripture that those in the Lake of Fire are ever re-born or renewed unto life, nor that the "purpose" of the brimstone is to accomplish such.
• Saved as by Fire – I Corinthians 3:15 is used to assert that people are saved through the Lake of Fire. However, the context of this text is about the work of ministers primarily (Please click here for more info on this: thelatterdays.blogspot.com/2009/11/we-can-only-lose-our-reward.html).
However, this text is only speaking of believers or as Paul says in I Corinthians 3:1 those who are “in Christ”. So even if one says this illustrates believers being saved by fire, that still excludes those who died as unbelievers.
There is no text which says that unbelievers will be saved by fire.
The Character of God Prevents Eternal Punishment
• God as a Father – It is stated that God's goal with punishment is never just to vent His anger on us but is always given with the objective of providing correction so that we might turn from our ways. This concept is consistent with the image of God as a Father.
Hebrews Chapter 12 talks about the type of punishment which is done by a Father for the purposes of correcting His children. In discussing this chastening, the word paideia is used meaning “the whole training and education of children; instruction which aims at increasing virtue”.
Yet the only ones who qualify for this type of chastening are those who are sons. Those who are not sons are not subject to such, but are bastards. The type of punishment which is discussed in conjunction with the Lake of Fire is not the kind of a Father chastening children (paideia), but of kolazō (punishment), timōria (vengeance), dikē (condemnation), and kolasis (penalty) .
Scripture also indicates that the punishment of the Lake of Fire is an expression of God’s wrath (Revelation 14:10-11). This is not the same type of correction wrought upon children, but is a recompense for deeds done. This is not an interaction of a Father dealing with sons (who are not in the Lake of Fire), but of an angry God meting out righteous judgment. Those who are His sons inherit “age-during” life (Revelation 21:7).
I agree with God’s description as a Father, but He is not a Father to all and Scripture indicates that those in the Lake of Fire are not sons nor are they chastened/punished as sons.
• God is Righteous – There are many facets to God’s personality. While He is a Father, He is also a King, a Judge, a Husband, a Creator, a Healer, etc. How we interact with Him (and Him with us) is dependent upon our relationship with Him. There are no inconsistencies between God’s treatment of His sons and His treatment of His enemies.
As a product of His righteousness, He cannot deny Himself. He must honor His words if He is to be holy and righteous…even if those words are consequences that are unpleasant.
If He says that one must turn in faith to Christ to be reconciled unto Him, and that only such will inherit “age-during” life; then the only ones who inherit “age-during” life are those who turn in faith to Jesus. For unbelievers to inherit “age-during” life that leads into eternity defies His word and makes Him a liar unless those in the Lake of Fire repent and turn. Yet, there is no text which indicates that those in the Lake of Fire will come to such a belief/confession.
We cannot attempt to understand God with our own minds or reasonings. Neither can we eclipse God into one facet of His character to the point where we dismiss the other attributes of God. Jesus came as a Lamb the first time. He will come back as a Lion. He is coming back in judgment for the deeds done in our mortal bodies. There is nothing in Scripture which indicates that this is a second chance of redemption for those who have rejected Him. It is a time of judgment. To say that God is too "loving" to do such a thing contradicts much of Scripture.
• Man’s love for God – One thing God showed me years ago is that the basis for our covenant with Him is love. Not only His love for us, but that same love being reflected in us back to Him as we are made over into His image. (thelatterdays.blogspot.com/2009/12/only-reason-salvation-can-be-lost.html)
People receive judgment from God not because of sin primarily, but because their sin is the manifestation of a lack of love for God. The potential purpose of the Lake of Fire being to burn off man’s sinful flesh still does not get to the root of the problem: a change in the heart of man.
God is after a new heart in man, and having the old man burned up does not mean that new life has replaced it. There is no text which indicates that those in the Lake of Fire are renewed unto life or given a new heart, and yet this is the root of what must happen to be raised unto age-during life in God (John 3:3).
All is "Summed Up" in Christ
• Perfected versus Reconciled - Some say that the Scriptures indicating all will be “summed up” in Christ at the end necessitates that all is brought into alignment or joined together with Him.
Yet, reconciliation does not mean that all things are added together, but that all things are balanced out. One of the roots from which the word for “summed up” in Christ (Ephesians 1:10) is derived from the word kephalaion which means “the pecuniary sum total of a reckoning”. Reckoning itself means a settling of accounts or a “summing up”. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/reckoning
In the process of reconciliation, those things which should be added are added and those which should be removed are taken away. The result is that all has been “reconciled”.
A false balance is an abomination to the Lord. All things must be reconciled, all things must be balanced out, all things must be “summed up” and this includes processing all debts.
Many in the Early Church held this position
• The mystery of iniquity doth already work- Some point to the number of church historians/theologians who supported this doctrine a proof that it represents true Christianity. Support is cited for this belief dating back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. One thing we also know from II Thessalonians 2:7 is that even back in the days where the Scriptures were being penned, the mystery of iniquity was already at work. So, it would be no surprise that error was creeping into the churches even at that time. While it may be interesting to consider the writings of men, our basis for truth must be grounded in the Scriptures.